Former McKinley Park Church Campus Secures Funding for Cultural Center Transformation

By Socialhood News · Il/Chicago/Mckinley Park · January 22, 2026

McKinley Park residents will soon welcome a vibrant new cultural hub as the Atrium Thirty-Six project moves forward with significant financial backing. The former church campus at 3619 S. Hoyne Avenue has secured pre-development grant funding of up to

50,000 from the City of Chicago to support the transformation into a cultural and social resource center.

The project aims to repurpose the former church campus into Atrium Thirty-Six, a community-centered cultural and social resource space that will serve the diverse McKinley Park neighborhood. This grant is part of Mayor Brandon Johnson's $33 million community development initiative, with funding through the mayor's

.25 billion Housing and Economic Development Bond and the Neighborhood Opportunity Fund. The pre-development funding will specifically support eligible design and engineering fees as the project takes shape.

Residents interested in learning more about Atrium Thirty-Six or getting involved with this exciting new cultural space are encouraged to attend upcoming McKinley Park Development Council meetings. For those inspired to pursue their own neighborhood improvement projects, the next submission deadline for similar Community Development Grant applications is February 13, 2026.

Sources:
1. https://www.chicago.gov/city/en/depts/mayor/press_room/press_releases/2026/january/community-development-grants.html